History - Duke Sustainable Operations
Climate Action Plan
In 2007, Duke University committed to being carbon neutral in 2024. This commitment led to the development of Duke's first Climate Action Plan (CAP) in 2009. This plan provided recommendations to reduce emissions from energy used on campus and emissions from transportation-related activities (employee commuting, air travel, and Duke-owned vehicles). It also provided recommendations on carbon offsets, which led to the creation of the Duke Carbon Offsets Initiative. The CAP also focused on ways to improve sustainability across Duke by creating recommendations for education and campus-community outreach.
Nearly a decade after its original CAP in 2009, Duke University began updating the plan to assess progress, review assumptions that may have changed and consider new strategies that could push Duke towards carbon neutrality in 2024. With a goal of full transparency, the University sought input from internal and external stakeholders through an open comment period on Duke's draft CAP Update. These comments were reviewed and responded to in the Climate Action Plan Update or the Response to Comment document.
Carbon Neutrality in 2024 and 2025
Through operational changes, energy efficiency upgrades, carbon offsets and more, Duke University accomplished its neutrality milestone in 2024 and also in 2025. To learn more about Duke’s carbon neutrality achievement, please read the Duke Today series on Duke's carbon neutrality journey.